Flotex Tibor sheet

Pioneering textile designer Tibor Reich - creator of Tibor - was one of the most prominent figures in the British post-war textile industry. Forbo has teamed up with this British design legend on an exciting new flooring range. Most of the designs are derived from Tibor’s ground-breaking Fotexur collection, launched in 1957. Printed on Forbo Flotex in vibrant colours, Tibor’s innovative Fotexur designs have a timeless feel, despite dating back 70 years. Watch the Flotex Tibor video to see more!

Flotex Tweedy

Tibor was unusual as a textile designer in creating both printed and woven fabrics. The Tweedy pattern was inspired by a photograph of one of his celebrated Deep Texture weaves, in which irregular slubby yarns were used to create tactile fabrics with textural variety and depth.

Flotex Ziggurat

Through focusing on texture and line, Tibor’s detailed photograph of straw inspired this famous pattern from the Fotexur range. The photograph was taken in the spring sunshine to give the image greater definition and the design deliberately highlights the tonal contrast between light and dark.

Flotex Arbor

Like all Tibor’s Fotexur patterns, the starting point for the Arbor design was a crisp black and white photograph taken by the designer himself. The image, recording the rough striated bark of an oak tree, is ruggedly textural, providing the perfect foil for varied coloured overlays.

Flotex Mosaic

Tibor often incorporated richly-textured ‘fancy yarns’ into his weaves to create tactile effects. For this pattern Tibor photographed a sheer fabric made from slub yarn. The uniformity of the grid contrasts pleasingly with the randomness of the loops. Co-ordinating stripes are available in 2 colourways.

Flotex Atomic

This design, derived from a photograph of an atomic structure, symbolizes the period known as the Atomic Age. Part of the Colatomic range, launched in 1960, it reflects Tibor’s dual interests in colour and texture. It also reflects the impact of Abstract Expressionism, which was very popular in the art world at the time.

Forbo Flotex & Tibor

Pioneering textile designer Tibor Reich - creator of Tibor - was one of the most prominent figures in the British post-war textile industry. Although his striking patterns date from the 1950s, they could have been designed yesterday.

Forbo Flooring has teamed up with this British design legend to create an exciting new flooring range. Most of the designs selected by Forbo are from Tibor’s ground-breaking Fotexur collection, launched in 1957, winner of the Council of Industrial Design’s inaugural Design Centre Award.

Had he been alive today, Tibor would have relished working with Forbo. Thankfully his creativity lives on through his internationally recognized archives, housed at the Victoria & Albert Museum and University of Leeds International Textile Archive.

Flotex flocked flooring provides the perfect medium for Tibor’s dynamic graphic designs. The cutting-edge technology of digital printing gives a new lease of life to his arresting patterns.

Watch the video to learn more about the collaboration between Forbo and Tibor.

Tibor & The Art of Fotexur

Hungarian émigré Tibor Reich (1916-1996) was one of the most prominent figures in the British post-war textile industry. A multi faceted artist, who designed carpets, wallpapers, ceramics, tiles and vinyl flooring, all in his distinctive co-ordinated style.

A gifted artist and dynamic entrepreneur, he moved to the UK in 1937 to study at Leeds University. Tibor Ltd, the company he established in 1946 he at Clifford Mill near Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, was a leading brand throughout the 1950s and 60s.

Texture was the defining feature of Tibor’s textiles. As well as his celebrated Deep Texture weaves, he produced arresting screen-printed curtain fabrics, known as Texture Prints.

Most of the designs selected by Forbo are from Tibor’s ground-breaking Fotexur collection, launched in 1957, winner of the Council of Industrial Design’s inaugural Design Centre Award. The ‘Fo’ refers to photography, while ‘Texur’ evokes texture, both key aspects of these designs.

Close-up photographs of organic materials, such as straw and bark, provided the starting point for Tibor’s intriguing Fotexur patterns. A keen photographer, he drew inspiration from the natural world.

His eye was attracted to relief patterns and tonal contrasts in unusual places, such as fissures in a dried up river bed. Tibor also photographed his own weaves and used these images in his designs.

The Fotexur process began by screen-printing the photograph on paper, before isolating a section of the image and cutting it into squares or strips. Patterns were created by rotating and re-arranging these repeated motifs in different formations to create energetic and rhythmic compositions. Tibor’s bold choice of colour variations provided the final ingredient to these stimulating and eye-catching designs.

Printed on Forbo Flotex in vibrant colours, Tibor’s innovative Fotexur designs have a timeless feel, despite dating back 70 years.

Flotex Tibor video

About Flotex flocked flooring

Flotex flocked flooring combines the hard-wearing and durable characteristics of a resilient floor with the warmth and comfort of carpet. Slip resistant, sound absorbent and easy to clean, it is digitally printed in an infinite number of colours and designs, from abstracts to 3D patterns and trompe l’oeil effects.

• Flotex is a hard-wearing, heavy-duty floor covering suitable for a wide range of contract uses.

• Flotex combines the durability and resilience of hard flooring with the warmth and comfort of textile floor covering.

• 70 million fibres per m² provide a slip- resistant surface in both wet and dry conditions.

• The density of fibres make Flotex sound absorbent, resulting in a quiet flooring material.

• Flotex is an Allergy UK approved floor covering: the fibres trap allergens until easily releasing them on vacuuming.

Allergy UK

Allergy approved flooringFlotex is approved by Allergy UK as it has proven to have a positive impact on the lives of allergy sufferers. It has the ability to trap allergens and then safely release them to standard cleaning appliances.

When cleaned, Flotex releases twice as many allergens compared to the cleaning of conventional carpets. More harmful allergens are removed, creating a more comfortable environment for asthma and allergy sufferers.

Flotex floorcare

The unique construction of Flotex allows to release soling like no other textile flooring. The smooth straight fibres of Flotex do not trap particles of soil, allowing them to be removed without difficulty during cleaning.